I was told the grand opening to the public is March 21, but I want to confirm this! Do not expect to see neon signs pointing the way. In fact, I do not recall seeing any exterior signs ... yet anyway. Through the glass front door ... discreet signage ...

The evening was certainly special. Lots of tea, Japanese foods ... and most importantly the people. Many Ippodo "family" attendees and scores of well wishers.

Not lost in all this was the fact that this event was planned for March 11th, the second anniversary of the devastating earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster. Although I did not ask, I have to think this was intentional ... a sort of homage and perseverence.

Also, in asking questions, it appears this will not signal a change in shipping online orders direct from Japan. You can walk in and purchase products, beverages, and it seems food ... but if you are not able to visit Ippodo NYC, you will still have to order online and have your order shipped from Japan.

I will be emailing a few Ippodo representatives with questions I have, so if you have any questions, I can attempt to receive an answer and post it here.

Chip wrote:Also, in asking questions, it appears this will not signal a change in shipping online orders direct from Japan. You can walk in and purchase products, beverages, and it seems food ... but if you are not able to visit Ippodo NYC, you will still have to order online and have your order shipped from Japan.

This is indeed a pity!

Could you please double-check on this when you e-mail the Ippodo folks?

BTW, Ippodo "family" all the way up to the President visit of all places, TeaChat! I kid you not.

sherubtse wrote:

Chip wrote:Also, in asking questions, it appears this will not signal a change in shipping online orders direct from Japan. You can walk in and purchase products, beverages, and it seems food ... but if you are not able to visit Ippodo NYC, you will still have to order online and have your order shipped from Japan.

This is indeed a pity!

Could you please double-check on this when you e-mail the Ippodo folks?

Each guest received a wrapped package (in the normal, elegant Ippodo fashion) filled with Ippodo teas. This was good news since I was sort of hoping in a long shot kind of way to be able to procure some of their teas while I was there.

So, today at the TeaTable I brewed up Ippodo's Kumpu Sencha ... brewed the Ippodo way (lots of leaf). Delicious as it looks.

Chip wrote:
So, today at the TeaTable I brewed up Ippodo's Kumpu Sencha ... brewed the Ippodo way (lots of leaf). Delicious as it looks.

On the Ippodo website are "one-pot" bags of tea which contain 10 grams. They don't specify the pot size, so I'm assuming I can stretch a bag to 2 sessions in a small kyusu. i'm hoping those one-pot bags are for sale in NYC when the store opens so I can sample a variety of their teas. They're just a bus ride away from me, making near-instant gratification a reality.